I purchased a kill-a-watt off ebay, it was $25 shipping in, from this store
Shop eBay Canada Store - Battery Gallery:: Rechargeable AA Batteries
My parents have a big old freezer that we could have for free but we had no idea how much energy it used, turns out 3 times as much as a new one... So a new freezer pays for itself in 8 years vs. the free one.
In my experience big electricity loads are:
Forced air fans, especially if they are on all the time, people do this to keep basements drier.
Older freezers and fridges.
Old wash machines that leave lots of water in the clothes for the dryer.
Dryers.
Hot water tanks.
AC.
Dish washers.
And of course electric heat.
Also, the best payback that I know of in alternative energy sources is a clothesline, solar hot water heaters are good too. Simple and they last a long time too.
Also a wood stove is great alternative energy source especially if you can get free wood which isn't too hard in most urban areas, as most arborists have to pay to dump wood. We do nearly all our heating with a wood stove and its paid for itself plus the chainsaw in 4 years. I don't have a gym membership either so its good exercise splitting and stacking too.
It takes a year to figure out how run the stove well and work out your wood management system but once you have it sorted its not to much labour. Sounds like you'll have lots of help available too!
Ian